We have a government totally out of touch with reality, really brain dead.

The whole planet is about to be destroyed from global warming, and they just talk minor gas-car improvements.

Do we even have a government?

On the one hand, a bunch of young folks with a website can really rock Wal-Mart, a company with billions in profits/year and employees (i.e. voters) in virtually every congressional district, pressing it successfully in a number of policy areas including the environment.

On the other hand, after all these years, with even national security arguments on their sides, mainstream national enviro groups can't seem to exert any political leverage on three auto companies that are virtually bankrupt financially and whose leadership is devoid of imagination.

Hats off to Obama and company for pushing the fuel economy issue. Thumbs down to the "we can't win" attitude of Becker, so typical of Beltway enviros. This posture is why this week's Nation article on grassroots environmentalism strikes a cord.

"Do we even have a government?"

Is a government bought out by corporate bribery really a government?  Or is it a conglomeration of corporations?

Lobbyists write proposed US laws and legislators do not even read them before voting.  Consultants total up the cash available for each vote and then advise legislators of their position on that issue.

It's a mess o' bushmania!  Burn baby burn, burn the planet down you all, neeehaaawww!  

Heaven awaits the arrival of the faithbased where 72 hummers are lined up for the true believers.  Gas is 14 cents per gallon and there is no global climate disaster.  Vroom!

Why would we even expect that the goverment can offer any real help with such an important problem?

Every goverment agency or project that I have observed is plagued with inefficiency and wasted time and money.  A goverment mandate on fuel economy will mainly cause car manufactures to hire lawyers to try to find and exploit loop holes such as the one major loop hole mentioned above.  What then will help us to improve fuel economy?  High oil prices.  The higher oil prices are the more customers will demand greater fuel economy.  Also the higher oil prices are the more attractive alternatives become, economically speaking from a capatilistic point of view.  Car manufactures and energy companies like any other for profit companies must respond to customer demand or they will be replaced by companies that do.  

I do think that the goverment has role to play but rather than produce laws that encourage lawyers to look for loop holes they should supply funding to researchers and entrepeneurs (sorry for the spelling) who are working to develop more fuel efficient engines and alternative sources of energy.  The Bush administration has done some notable things to fund this initiative but it is not nearly enough.  But where will the extra funds come from?  How about this.  A one dollar per barrel of oil tax in which the proceeds will be funnelled directly to alternative energy research.  Or better yet a one dollar per gallon of gasoline tax now that would improve fuel economy all over the country.  But they won't do that because it is too simple and what would the lawyers do all day.